San Francisco Hotels, Part 1

Picking out a hotel in San Francisco is like picking an item off your favorite menu or trying to choose your best tie--or coolest superhero socks--for a pivotal meeting. There are often so many great choices, it's hard to decide.

So we're going to make it a little easier. In this little series of three blogs, we'll introduce you to hotels that are (1) luxurious, (2) hip, and (3) close to Moscone Center, where Oracle OpenWorld 2008 takes place.

Ready for luxury? Then prepare yourself for world-class pampering, dining, and people watching. We're talking cotton sheets from Egypt, the trendiest restaurants, bars with an unspoken filter against the unhip or unwealthy, and spas that will knead you into Play-Doh and reshape you into the person you've always dreamed of being.

Please note, this is not scientific by any stretch, nor do we quote rates. We just asked our friends who travel (or dine or party) where they like to go in San Francisco, and why. It's not like we can afford any of these places.

Also--lawyers breathe a sigh of relief--this list is by no means an endorsement.

Hotels with an asterisk (*) are on the list of Oracle OpenWorld 2008 official conference hotels. They offer special rates to attendees.

So here are a few of San Francisco's deluxe hotels ...

Campton Place*
Uniformed doormen with genuine smiles greet you. The weight and elegance of marble surround you. The ubiquitous sense of privilege embraces you. The restaurant'so they say'is favored by the city's cognoscenti. Are YOU cognoscenti?

Four Seasons San Francisco*
One of San Francisco's most luxurious, most expensive, and sexiest hotels. And close to Moscone. It has a very loyal following.

InterContinental Mark Hopkins*
Opened in 1926 and has been a 4-star destination ever since. Great location at Union Square. Our friend Doug used to play piano at the bar.

Palace Hotel*
Built in 1875 to make European hotels pale in comparison. Burned down in the fire that followed the 1906 earthquake. Reopened in 1909 and has been a stylish destination ever since. Walking distance to Moscone.

Ritz-Carlton San Francisco
Who put the swank in swanky? You know who. If you can afford to stay here, you can afford cab fare to and from Moscone.

The St. Regis San Francisco
New. Fancy. Across the street from Moscone Center and next door to the Museum of Modern Art. Two restaurants, each deluxe and surprising. They have a room that's 3,200 square feet. Yes, you can stay in a hotel room bigger than your house.

It occurs to us that you're probably reading this not so much for our unqualified opinions and editorials, but to find a place to stay. And your friends at Oracle are here to help. Here are a few links to accommodations in San Francisco.